This invention relates generally to door latches for vehicles, and in particular to a safety system in a door handle assembly which is compact in size for space-efficient packaging in the door.
Doors on cars and trucks include a handle assembly for latching and unlatching the door to the vehicle body so that the door can be swung open and also held in a shut position. A safety system is conventionally incorporated so that a side impact collision does not inadvertently cause the handle to move into an unlatched position, thereby allowing the door to open and exposing occupants to greater risk of being expelled from the vehicle. Typically, the safety system uses a counterweight mounted in the handle assembly which, in response to acceleration induced by a side impact, opposes or prevents movement of the handle to the unlatched position.
Recent vehicles feature doors of decreased thickness that require thinner and more compact handle assemblies. Unfortunately, conventional handle assemblies frequently have counterweights which are thick, bulky, located relatively far from the operating part of the handle assembly, or otherwise difficult to integrate into the door with a smooth contour and low profile.